An evening with Howard Dean right here in Dsseldorf, of all places

[DFW]

A cultural exchange organization invited him for press interviews, a speech and reception, and then dinner with the mayor of Düsseldorf and a few members of the cultural organization and yours truly. Howard gave a far-ranging speech, mostly on the EU and Brexit, the horror that is Trump and how it is now up to the Europeans to get their act together, ditch some of their cumbersome bureaucracy, recruit younger politicians, and some behind the scenes stuff he and a few other prominent-but-older Democrats are up to in the States. Part of it is supporting a number of under-the-radar internet high-tech recruiting and organizing outfits that he and his friends hope will go about raising awareness and recruiting young candidates in a new manner befitting the fact that his (our!) generation can be there to advise, but can't always do, so it is now time for thirty-somethings to begin to learn the ropes--of campaigning and of political power. He said politics has always been there, probably always will be, and a new generation needs to take the reins and do it their way instead of our way.

He touched on other issues, especially environmental ones, and quite a few off-the-record comments on current events that will have to, alas, remain that way.

He remains one of the most lucid, personable, STRAIGHTFORWARD and knowledgeable people in politics I EVER met. He and I will have breakfast in a few hours before he heads on down to Mainz to celebrate the German National Holiday with Frank-Walter Steinmeyer, the current Social-Democratic President of Germany. I have to be in Switzerland later on that day, so we part company after breakfast.

Howard will be 69 in mid-November, and says he will help out, but will be doing it in a strictly advisory capacity. It is time for younger blood to step and be candidates for office, local to national. He laughed when someone asked him if we really had such a weak bench. He said our potential bench is creaking under the weight of good potential candidates.

I know he means it (he ALWAYS means it) when he said he's there to help out, but no longer interested in another candidacy or DNC chairmanship. DAMN, I wish he wouldn't say that.

There were a few Brits and Americans there, but mostly well-educated Germans speaking impeccable English. Here we are with the current mayor of Düsseldorf, who spent much of 1988 in the USA working for the Dukakis campaign (now, THAT'S what I call an ally!)

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[mountain grammy]

1. Howard Dean is THE man.

[democrank]

2. I have enormous respect for Howard Dean and his straightforward ways.

We should revive his 50-state strategy and encourage his astute assessments. I respect the fact that he doesn't stubbornly cling to old ways of doing things. He's bold and forward leaning and isn't afraid to consider new ideas.

[raven mad]

4. Agreed, but let's add the territories, and make it more than 50.

I adore this man.

[democrank]

5. Thank you for reminding me of this. I agree.

Unite~

[Boomerproud]

3. I bet Dr. Dean loved your tie DFW.

Lets just say your day was better spent than mine.

[DFW]

13. That tie did indeed not go unnoticed

I don't think I've worn it since the 2008 Denver convention.

[UTUSN]

6. A fine wine

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. My dear DFW!

Ah, what a great report! He always has such good ideas.

LOVE your tie!

I can't quite make out his lapel pin...What is it?

[DFW]

14. One the locals had made up for his visit

The American flag coupled with a flag of the state of which Düsseldorf is the capital city: North Rhein-Westfalia.

[Hekate]

8. As always, thanks for sharing Howard Dean with the rest of us

It's like water in the desert to know he is still among those who are working toward a better future for us all.

[R B Garr]

9. Very impressive, DFW! Thank you so much for sharing this.

I agree with everything you say about Howard Dean and am glad he will be there to help promote the party in whatever ways he feels comfortable with. I see others making comments that this experiment with the so-called "outsiders" is a total disaster and people are hungry for government experience and stability.

You sure have great contacts! What an interesting event there.

[DFW]

21. Howard is in demand all over the world, but rarely makes it to Germany

Last edited Tue Oct 3, 2017, 05:19 PM - Edit history (2)

Not to mention that he has never been in my part of Germany at all. But the cultural and political scene in Düsseldorf is very active, as it should be, considering that Düsseldorf is the capital city of the most populous state in the country. This event was jointly sponsored by a Germany-USA cultural exchange organization, and they have high-reaching contacts. Howard is spending today with the Federal President, and then tomorrow heads off to Berlin, where he is meeting members of the current government, and giving another big speech there before heading back to the USA on Friday.

Howard and I have met up in various places in both the USA and Europe, but never on my (adopted) home turf of Düsseldorf before. It was definitely good to spend time with him and then be able to sleep in my own bed afterward.

[R B Garr]

25. That's great. We need the wordly smart people like never before.

"Germany-USA cultural exchange organization" -- nice to see that the US is being well represented instead of the shocking ignoramus in the WH. We need good reps for us out there like you and Dean.

[DFW]

26. That is EXACTLY why Howard's visit was/is so important

Europeans desperately need to hear sane voices from the USA right now to remind them that we have not all gone crazy, and that we have not all deteriorated to emotional toddlers. They all crowded around Howard to hear a voice from an America they all wanted to believe was still there, but of which they have been presented with little evidence of late. The recent spate of Hillary interviews on US TV did not make it here. I can't make Howard's lecture in Berlin on Thursday, but I'm sure it will be very well attended--probably better attended than any lecture from Trump at a similar venue.

I do what I can, but I'm just some private citizen out there. Yes, I can reassure the odd European politician or individual here and there that we have not suddenly all gone batshit crazy, but it is someone like Howard who can do this with some authority. I am waiting to see if the German press has anything to say about his talk. There was no mention of it in today's Düsseldorf paper, something I did not find encouraging, although with all the national festivities planned (October 3rd is the new national holiday: Unification Day), I can understand its being overlooked. Maybe his talk in Berlin on Thursday will receive wider coverage.

[R B Garr]

27. So totally agree about the sane voices. Let's hope Dean's Berlin talk does get some coverage.

It's a shame that Hillary's appearances haven't been covered because she has had so much to say about the international effects of the Putin/Russia election intervention.

On another note, it's so reassuring that Al Gore is still an international icon with his climate change platform. Trump is such a rotten caricature of the ugly American that anything sane is welcome and a sight for sore eyes. We know that the Republicans have to maintain a large percentage of their craziness to appeal to their base here, and they have really gone off the deep end. It's all very unnerving. Look forward to your further reports on what you see over there! thx

[DFW]

28. I will try to remember to check the Berlin Press online Friday morning.

I have to be in another country on Friday, or else I might even have gone to Berlin tomorrow night.

Unfortunately, the front page of the Düsseldorf paper had a big color photo of the panic at the Las Vegas concert with a big headline saying "Massacre at US-Festival." That's the America people see in the papers these days. A psychopathic egomaniac in the White House and people trying to escape bullets flying. We've descended a LONG way from "yes, we can" and Obama's smiling face.

[DFW]

29. Here is the site announcing yesterday's event

https://askhelmut.com/events/2017-10-05-17-00-babylon-berlin-mitte-take-back-congress-in-2018-midterms-kick-off-with-howard-dean

I hadn't paid attention to the fact that it was a Democrats Abroad event (these are the people who arranged my 1 hour's meeting with Obama 5 years ago), and that only U.S. citizens were allowed due to the fundraising nature. I doubt the German press will have covered it. It is a REAL shame I had to be in Brussels this morning, because I'm sure Howard REALLY let fly in a partisan atmosphere like Democrats Abroad--probably way more than when the German press was attending here in Düsseldorf.

[R B Garr]

30. I see what you mean about the press coverage. Love that Dean is having such a presence

everywhere. He was on AMJoy this morning. He is such a uniter, a reasonable man who tries to bring people together. Thx, DFW.

[DFW]

31. Howard is the only one I know whose schedule is crazier than mine.

He was just giving his talk in Berlin Thursday night, and flying back to the States on Friday.

It looks like he wasn't wasting any time if he was already on US TV this morning.

When we first met, almost 20 years ago, a mutual acquaintance called me over, and said, "you ought to listen to this guy, he makes a LOT of sense." Howard has never stopped making a lot of sense.

[DFW]

32. Just wanted to follow up with you on the press coverage

Howard's talk was mentioned in an article in today's Düsseldorf paper. It said that he was the one many wished could be president, even now (instead of you-know-who), not to mention his 2004 campaign, and what he did as Governor of Vermont. It spoke very highly of him and the subjects he covered in his address.

I don't know how (it wasn't me, so it must have been Howard), but the only other two people mentioned in the article were the mayor of Düsseldorf and me. Why me, I don't know, although the organizers probably told the press when they asked who the guy was who obviously knew Howard better than a casual acquaintance. Howard told them who I was, and they might have passed it on.

[R B Garr]

33. That is fantastic, DFW! That is so encouraging in a lot of ways.

International papers are coming out and acknowledging that there are good and competent leaders for the U.S., which looks to me like a complete backhand towards Trump. He is such the epitome of the ugly American. I'm so glad that internationally they acknowledge that there are many worthy and respectable qualified leaders. They are keeping things in check by doing that, seems to me -- not lumping all Americans together. Trump is that bad all by himself. You keep some really good company.

[DFW]

35. The foreign press can't STAND Trump or the people who work for him

I haven't seen ONE European paper with anything positive to say about that crowd (and I speak nine European languages), and they are hungry for news that they can report that gives them first-hand contact with prominent, sane Americans. Howard just blows me away with his punishing schedule, especially at his age (he'll be 69 next month). But he is just doing the same thing he told me in February 2009 that he'd be doing if Obama didn't ask him to be part of his administration--joining some kind of law firm for income (for him) and name recognition (for them), and spending most of his time raising hell for causes he cares about. A few years ago, he even organized a walking march from Bangkok to the Burmese border to raise awareness about human trafficking going on there--very unsung in the States (never even saw one post about it here, for example), but appreciated there.

These days, raising hell for causes he cares about is mostly concentrated on environmental issues (always a main interest of his), keeping sane America in the news (important so the USA and the world don't think we've completely lost it), and getting younger people involved in Democratic politics. He has more energy than a nuclear power plant. You should have seen schedule while he was here in Germany. From the moment he got off the plane, he was having radio and print press interviews all day, the lecture and the dinner Monday night (where I was), and then after a 6 AM breakfast with me in Düsseldorf, off to meeting the German president for national day celebrations in Mainz, then to Frankfurt, then to Berlin, where he had the big Amerika Haus lecture, the flying home Friday to be on AMJoy Saturday. I'm sure he left back home to Burlington right afterward, as he is a family man, and Judy is quite the homebody, doesn't like to travel. Even at the gatherings in South Carolina where I first met him, he always skipped the big New Year's Eve celebration to fly home to be with his family for that.

As for the company I keep--I have been fortunate, due to an improbable set of circumstances, to meet and know people many don't get to meet and know. It's not because I'm something special, but because the circumstances were special. I promise you I didn't get to meet Salvador Dalí at age 16 because I was some kind of art prodigy!

But having Howard as a friend has indeed been a special privilege, as he is truly someone I respect and admire.

[R B Garr]

37. These are very interesting vignettes. It's good to see these kind of productive

recollections of our party return here. We need more of this. There's another great thread about Dean started here just today. It's nice to see that people are acknowledging what an asset he is.

I see a lot of the big name Democrats willing to help out developing the younger talent. It's encouraging and definitely needed to see the experience and stability that will bring.

[DFW]

38. Howard is one of the most vocal about recruiting younger candidates for us. He is not alone

And you'd be surprised (or maybe not) at who one of his main partners is in this endeavor.

I'm in Sprout City today on a tight schedule, but I'll try and steal a moment to look for that other thread on Howard.

[BigmanPigman]

10. Dean has always and will always have my respect.

Thanks for this...I AM jealous!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

11. Thanks for sharing, DFW. What a wonderful experience! n/t

[JHan]

12. Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

This is particularly encouraging

"part of it is supporting a number of under-the-radar internet high-tech recruiting and organizing outfits that he and his friends hope will go about raising awareness and recruiting young candidates in a new manner befitting the fact that his (our!) generation can be there to advise, but can't always do, so it is now time for thirty-somethings to begin to learn the ropes--of campaigning and of political power. He said politics has always been there, probably always will be, and a new generation needs to take the reins and do it their way instead of our way. "

[DFW]

15. So few in politics have figured that out

Can you imagine Mitch McTurtle saying anything like that?

[JHan]

22. I think Mitch leaves it to the Kochs

I can't imagine him saying that either, republican leadership has become so craven and they leave it to those who fund think tanks to hone young minds. I'm hoping some millennials shake off the fascination with libertarian conservatism by the time they hit 40.

[DFW]

16. Follow up after breakfast--you'll want to consider some of this

We only had an hour before we had to go our separate ways.

We talked about Russian interference in South Ossetia, Georgia (Tbilisi, not Atlanta), Macedonia, and the Baltics, travel into and out of Laos, fraudulent electronic voting machines, and family. Most of the family talk was private, but I will let on that Judy was most relieved when he did NOT win in 2004. She would have continued her practice in Washington, but would have hated having security around all the time, and was in fact relieved when she didn't have to leave Burlington.

One interesting thing I didn't know: when Howard was in medical school, it was in a mostly Jewish institution that included students on its admission committee. He said that there three piles of applications: the obvious yesses, the obvious noes, and the "pile in the middle." From the pile in the middle, where it wasn't clear from the start if the applicant would be accepted for admission or not, he observed that the older members of the admission committee put in their "favorable" pile only Jewish applicants and that he had mostly non-Jewish applicants, and that it dawned upon him that both groups on the committee tended to choose those ethnicities most familiar to themselves. He noted that tendency, and tried to distance himself from that mentality ever since.

Howard still travels the world, invited to speak his mind and tell of his impressions of people and places (and, yes, of Bush and Obama and what he would have done differently--not all of which he speaks of openly, of course). He told the Germans flat out that American has ceded the moral and intellectual leadership of the world by installing Trump in office, and that the EU could and should make a real effort at more unity because there was such a leadership vacuum in the West at this crucial time, and Merkel can't be expected to go it alone.

It is not just because he is a friend that I say this, but because I absolutely believe it: the United States lost out big time when this man did NOT become president. We could have--WOULD have truly had a chance to live up to the greatness we so fervently aspire to, and too often so unjustly claim.

OK, so now Howard is on his way down to Mainz, and I have to get down to Zürich. To be continued, we hope, in January. It was good to see Howard, as always. It was also good to see that when he shows up even in a supposedly provincial city like Düsseldorf, that he fills the room nonetheless. People haven't forgotten, and when a voice filled with intelligence, rationality and reason comes to visit from America, people still want to hear it.

[mountain grammy]

34. Thank you for the follow up,

and I agree about the lost opportunity when Dean didn't become president. America is the land of lost opportunities and it's finally caught up with us.

[DFW]

36. So many lost opportunities

Gore 2000, Dean (or Kerry) 2004, Hillary 2016....how many more lost opportunities must we suffer before we finally institute an election process that is NOT subject to being perverted by forces (foreign or domestic) hostile to the interests of our country?

[OnDoutside]

17. Thanks DFW, great report. I always enjoy listening to Howard on MSNBC, it must be great to meet him

in person.

[DFW]

19. I've known Howard for almost 20 years

When I first met him, he was "thinking" of running for president. To most of America, he was "Howard Who?" Way back when, he and I used to do 12 string guitar solos back and forth at midnight in a hotel lobby (we are both huge Leo Kottke fans). A simpler age, for sure.

[OnDoutside]

23. Definitely simpler. I know someone who is good friends with a US Senator, and they said it used to

be that he would call every so often for a chat and their families would holiday together etc. Now he is a senior Senator, there are all sorts of security issues etc, and it's a lot more difficult to get together.

[DFW]

24. When I was small, my dad used to take me up to the Capitol in DC all the time

No metal detectors or searching of your briefcases. You just walked in. He used to take me up to the Senate Press gallery, and really colorful characters would come in and chat with him, and say hi to me, even though I had no clue what was going on. Senators with names like Dirksen, Humphrey, Javits, Kennedy (as in JF), Mansfield, Church. They just used to pop in and out. I had no earthly clue of the history being made right before my eyes, and a seven year old kid today probably wouldn't get close to having the chance any more.

[octoberlib]

18. I love Howard! I think he was the best DNC

Chairman we’ve had.

[DFW]

20. No one has even come close

Not since I've been following the DNC chairmanship, anyway.